The present invention has applications in various types of vehicles but will hereinafter be described (by way of illustration, but in no way imposing limitations on the invention) in its form as an armrest for use in a wheeled loader provided with so-called comfort drive control (CDC). Vehicles of the wheel loader type are often provided with equipment to make them easy and comfortable to operate. For example, the vehicle may be controlled by means of a control lever fitted to an armrest so that the operator sitting in the driver's seat can rest his arm on the armrest while at the time controlling the vehicle by means of the control lever. Other functions, such as control of the gearbox in order to obtain the various gears or for shifting the vehicle between forwards and reverse drive can also be incorporated into the armrest and can be actuated by means of buttons or other types of controls arranged in the armrest.
The armrest, which is often fitted on the left-hand side of the driver's seat, viewed in the direction of travel, can generally be folded back from a substantially horizontal or slightly forward-inclined operating position to a more vertical raised, passive position so as not to limit the space between the driver's seat and the steering wheel in the vehicle when getting in or out.
Moreover, the armrest moreover often has a mechanism for adjusting the position of the armrest forwards or backwards in relation to the driver's seat so that the driver can individually select a desired operating position of the armrest and hence of the control lever.
Previously known armrests have the disadvantage, however, that they do not take sufficient account of the varying body size of different operators. This means that the working position for the operator will be ideal only for operators who have a certain body size. This is because the desired distance between the seated position (which is substantially the same for different operators) in the driver's seat and the arm support position on the armrest for the operator (in a horizontal direction at right angles to the direction of travel of the vehicle, i.e. laterally) varies from person to person. An unfavorable working position may mean that the operator finds it more difficult to carry out his work and runs the risk of strain injuries.